Calif. Police Recruit's Training Death Accidental, Medical Examiner's Report Says

The police recruit who fainted during a high-intensity training exercise died as a result of an accident caused by too much physical exertion, leading to massive organ failure, a new report says.

Thirty-year-old police recruit Jon-Marques Psalms died on Aug. 22, two days after he suffered a "medical emergency" at the San Francisco police academy following an intense training exercise meant to simulate hand-to-hand combat.

Psalms suffered multi-organ failure due to severe exertion, including kidney and liver failure and internal hemorrhaging, the San Francisco chief medical examiner's report says. The cause of death is listed as "sequelae of rhabdomyolysis in the setting of a high-intensity training exercise," and the manner is "accident."

But Psalms' family had raised more than $25,000 out of their $45,000 goal as of Friday to help pay for a second autopsy "due to uncertainty around the cause of his death," a GoFundMe page started by Psalms' brother.

In a post written by Psalms' brother Malik, he says his older brother "passed away after participating in a training exercise for the SFPD."

"The highly controversial 'Street Cop Training' exercise that led to his passing has left our family with more questions than answers, and sadly, the City of San Francisco and the Police Department have not provided us with the clarity and support that we need during this time," the post says. "Because Jon was not an officially sworn-in officer, he was not eligible for life insurance through the department or other benefits that would have drastically helped our family financially navigate this process."

A San Francisco resident, Psalms joined police academy recruit class No. 386 in May, and was just 14 weeks into the 34-week course. Psalms previously worked in the Bay Area tech industry before pursuing a career in law enforcement. He grew up in Southern California.

Malik describes him as "one of the most caring and loving people that anyone could ever meet," and that the "tragedy has hit his family and friends extremely hard."

The day he died, Psalms was participating in training that uses RedMan protective gear, part of a program developed in the 1980s that is widely used by law enforcement, corrections and military, but has been criticized for leading to injury and death.

The training exercise is mandated by the state Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training, the department said on social media.

Cal/ OSHA is investigating the incident as they do with any other workplace death, and SFPD is also conducting its own internal investigation, the department said.

This isn't the first death associated with the RedMan drill.

In 2020, a Santa Clara County sheriff cadet collapsed while sparring in the gear and spent hours on life support before he died at a hospital, days before his academy graduation.

Massachusetts suspended use of padded-suit exercises in police training after a recruit lost an eye during a RedMan exercise in 2016. Investigators found the academy lacked a formal lesson plan for the drill and failed to issue required eye protection.

The manufacturer of the gear warns that the suits offer "significant but limited protection" and can restrict force levels and require impact-resistant eye protection. It even labels certain uses of the gear as "misuse," such as strikes with real batons.

Police also have been criticized for the culture around RedMan training and other similar exercises, saying that it leads to a "warrior" mindset among police rather than one that focuses on de-escalation. An Associated Press investigation in October 2024 spotlighted a recruit who died after a brutal fight drill, noting Department of Justice concerns about training that contributes to unnecessary force.

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